Personal air distribution cooling device positioned near and around the users waist

ABSTRACT

Personal wearable comfort device that distributes fresh air around the users waist and core to help cool via convective and evaporative cooling. The system includes an air distribution belt which houses a fan assembly source for generating air movement and a breathable channel with a relatively air impermeable wrap for directing air movement. The fan assembly source for generating air movement is removable from the belt and consists of a small impeller blower, rechargeable battery, printed circuit board to drive user interface with power on/off and level selections. The breathable channel for air distribution is built using a highly breathable material that is wrapped with one or more materials designed to maintain airflow throughout the interior of the belt and deliver a level of comfort to the user. There are holes/pores introduced to this wrap material to direct the airflow out of the belt and across the ideal regions of the user&#39;s body for optimized distribution and thermal cooling performance. This breathable channel for air distribution is adjustable, washable, and customizable to the user.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to, and incorporates by reference, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/144,206 filed on Feb. 1, 2021.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a personal air distribution device, namely, to a device worn around a user's waist having a fan that distributes airflow through and out of the device to cool the user.

A large amount of body heat is trapped between the body core and the clothing. There are multiple methods of cooling a person's body—of which two key methods include convection and evaporative cooling. Overheating, sweating, and being generally warm is a common issue that people deal with. The difficulty of cooling a body is that the person is normally wearing a piece of clothing which does not allow direct access of ambient air to the skin—this limits the amount of convective cooling or evaporative cooling that can take place—especially when the clothing has limited wicking or air flow characteristics. Similarly, if the person is not active and moving, there is limited opportunity for the ambient air to ‘flow across’ and ‘wash’ the heat and/or moisture away from the skin.

Everyone's body is different in how it regulates itself and the optimum climate that it prefers to maintain a neutral thermal condition. The opportunity to remove clothing, adjust the environmental conditions, or introduce an external device (i.e. a fan or ice pack) is not always available or reasonable depending on the situation. This affects people in many aspects of life including but not limited to athletic activities, business and casual work environments, or normal everyday routines.

Thus, a need exists for a cooling device that substantially solves the problems of the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings provide an illustration of one embodiment of the system. Understanding that these drawings are meant to provide a visual representation of the description and only a single method of intended use or construction is not to limit the scope. Additional details and descriptions will be provided with the accompany of these drawings.

FIGS. 1a, 1b, and 1c show perspective views to illustrate how the belt assembly can be worn around a user's waist.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the belt assembly with a few characteristics highlighted.

FIGS. 3a, 3b, and 3c are top perspective views that illustrates how the fan assembly fits into the fan pocket of the belt assembly.

FIGS. 4a, 4b, and 4c are perspective view that illustrate the air hole/pore configuration and some belt assembly design features.

FIGS. 5a and 5b show close up views to illustrate the internal components and cross section of the belt assembly.

FIGS. 6a, 6b, 6c, and 6d are disassembles views to illustrate the internal spacer monofilament material and possible design features.

FIGS. 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d are various views to illustrate the fan control assembly with details.

FIGS. 8a and 8b are close up views to illustrate an alternate fan pocket design.

FIGS. 9a, 9b, and 9c illustrate alternative monofilament configurations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A personal cooling device which wraps around the users waist and delivers fresh air across the skin is disclosed herein. The present system outlines a method of which fresh air can be introduced to and pushed across the user's skin in order to cool via convection and evaporation.

With reference to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of how the belt assembly (100) can be positioned around the user's waist. The belt generally consists of a fan pocket (101) which contains the fan assembly and an internal air distribution channel (102) which contains and directs the air flow around the user's waist. Some features of the belt assembly (100) include a belt clasp (103) used to connect and disconnect the belt for easy use and pores/holes (104) which allow the air to easily escape the belt air distribution channel (102) at intentionally spaced intervals across the user's body. The belt assembly (100) can be rotated such that the user can select where the fresh air supply is largest and provides the most cooling effect. There can be one or more fans located within the belt for varying levels of cooling.

FIG. 2 is a further illustration from FIG. 1 of the belt assembly (100) with further details described. Two convenience features include the adjustable belt strap (200) used to adjust the belt size for an user's waist and the strap securing loops (201) which are used to retain the excess strap length (if needed). This belt assembly (100) can be washable for easy cleaning.

FIG. 3 illustrates how the fan assembly (300) is installed and retained within the fan pocket (101). FIG. 3a has the fan assembly (300) sitting outside of the fan pocket (101). FIG. 3b shows the fan assembly (300) partially installed in the fan pocket (101). FIG. 3c represents the fan assembly (300) fully installed inside of the fan pocket (101). There is a marking for the power button location indicator (301) located on the outside of the fan pocket (101) for the user to locate the hidden power button on the fan assembly (300).

FIG. 4 illustrates some details of the air distribution channel (102). There is a multitude of pores/holes (400) located along one edge of the belt. These pores/holes (400) are specifically located with part of the opening extending across the top part of the belt and the other part of the opening extending down the interior side of the belt. In this manner, the air can flow from different sides of the belt, even if air flow from one side of the belt is blocked or obstructed. This is intentional positioning to help with air distribution being effective for a variety of user postures and BMI values. The pores/holes (400) spacing and size can be a consistent pattern, or customized to achieve more equalized distribution across each location. The belt assembly (100) can be manufactured using thread/stitching, ultrasonic or RF welding, lamination, or an alternate technique of attaching the materials. FIG. 4a highlights a multitude of holes/pores (400) across the length of the air distribution channel (102). FIG. 4b shows a close-up image of a hole/pore (400). FIG. 4c shows a portion of the belt that is cut open to highlight an adhesive strip (401) that is used in the construction with the intent of maintaining proper positioning of the wrap components and avoid shifting/twisting which would create a misalignment of the holes/pores (400). These components are more clearly defined and described in FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 identifies and explains some components that are used within the belt assembly (100). The internal region needs to be a highly breathable material enabling effective air flow. FIG. 5B illustrates a portion of the belt with cross section A-A identified and further detailed in FIG. 5A. A spacer monofilament (500) is one breathable material option that can be used to help air move throughout the interior of the air distribution channel (102) by maintaining its shape and not allowing it to easily collapse under weight or pressure. Some alternate materials that could be used in place of this spacer monofilament include but are not limited to reticulated foam, springs, channeled foam or flexible material. This material should have an air flow property greater than 5 SCFM per the ASTM D3574 test G standard to ensure effective air flow. There can be one or more of these spacer monofilament (500) layers and consist of one or more thicknesses to minimize size while maintaining effective air flow. The outermost wrap (501) should be a material that is comfortable against a users skin and it can also provide a level of moisture wicking. Nylon is one material option to use here. In some embodiments, there can be a highly breathable mesh layer (502) located just inside of the outermost wrap (501) that is used as a barrier between the spacer monofilament (500) material and the user's skin. The innermost fabric layer (503) is a relatively air impermeable material used to keep the vast majority of moving air contained until the desired escape location of the holes/pores (400). This innermost fabric layer (503) should have an air flow property no larger than 40 SCFM per the ASTM D3574 Test G standard. It is important for the holes/pores (400) that are located on the innermost fabric layer (503) align well with the outermost wrap (501) to ensure efficient air flow and avoid a situation where the holes don't align and thus cause restricted air flow. One method of position securing can be achieved using adhesive strips (401) within the layers. Some embodiments consolidate the outermost wrap (501) and innermost fabric layer (503) into a single material, which alleviates the complexity of hole/pore (400) alignment between the two layers. The hole/pore (400) positioning with respect to the air distribution channel (102) still needs to be secured and can be done through adhesive strips (401). Alternate techniques for securing the material position include but are not limited to intermittent stitching through the layers, heat lamination, or other.

FIG. 6 illustrates some of the spacer monofilament (500) configurations within the air distribution channel (102). A simple piece of spacer monofilament (500) running through the interior of the belt is the primary embodiment. Primary methods and designs targeted at providing an additional level of air flow through reduced restriction, the spacer monofilament (500) can be stamped using a heat and pressure procedure turning it into a stamped spacer (600) to create areas of low thickness allowing regions of higher air flow. FIGS. 6a and 6b illustrate this stamped spacer (600) positioned outside of the air distribution channel (102) for visual reference. The arrows represent the air flow direction. In addition to the stamped spacer (600) design, the regions of spacer monofilament (500) that are nearest the hole/pores (400) can be notched out creating a notched and stamped spacer (601) to remove any potential regions of restriction due to movement of the materials. FIGS. 6c and 6d illustrate this notched and stamped spacer (601) positioned outside of the air distribution channel (102) for visual reference. The arrows represent the air flow direction.

FIG. 7 illustrates the fan assembly (300) and highlights its features and components. FIG. 7a is an isometric view of the fan assembly (300) for reference. The fan assembly (300) housing consists of a front faceplate (701) and a back faceplate (707). The front faceplate (701) has a multitude of stand-offs (712) which help maintain intake air flow channels by not allowing fabrics or materials to easily suction against the front ventilation (703) which is one location where air enters the fan assembly (300). The power on/off button (702) is positioned on the edge of this front faceplate (700) for easy user access. The air exhaust (704) has an angled duct to help effectively deliver air into the air distribution channel (102) of the belt assembly (100) when it's wrapped around a user's waist. FIG. 7c is a side view of the fan assembly (300) for reference. The perimeter of the fan assembly (300) has perimeter ventilation (705) holes for additional avenues of air intake. FIG. 7b is a back view of the fan assembly (300) for reference. There is a charging port (710) to recharge the rechargeable battery. There is an indicator light (711) which highlights key information such as whether the battery is still charging, fully charged, and whether the system is on or off. FIG. 7d reflects the fan with the back faceplate (707) removed so that the internal components are visible. The critical internal components of the fan assembly (300) consist of a blower/fan (706) which generates the air flow, a printed circuit board (708) for control functionality, and a rechargeable battery (709) to power the system. The blower/fan (706) can be of blower type or similar, and have a flow range of 0.001 CFM to 30 CFM. The blower/fan (706) can also have a locked rotor sensor or protection for a level of safety protection, or this type of protection can be built directly into the PCB. In an alternate embodiment this fan could pull air out of the system, opposed to the intended use case where it pushed air into the system. There are standoffs and positioning brackets built into the housing to ensure proper fit and security of the components.

The power button can be pressed multiple times to achieve multiple fan speed setpoints.

FIG. 8 illustrates an alternate design of the fan pocket. This design utilizes a Velcro (800) closing feature, alternate mesh enclosure fabric, and a pocket that is built to match the fan size without relying on flexible materials to wrap and enclose it.

FIG. 9 illustrates additional views of the monofilament 600, which can be comprised of multiple layers of stamped and unstamped material. The structure of the layers can vary as well to give the layers different properties for transmission and directing the airflow.

The belt assembly (100) may or may not have additional pockets or regions that can be used for storing other devices such as a phone, key, wallet, or similar item. The belt assembly (100) may come in multiple different sizes with a level of flexibility to suite different waist dimensions, and also have an adjustable feature used to tighten or loosen.

The belt assembly (100) could be built with different thicknesses of the spacer monofilament (500) to target different use cases. For scenarios such as a business and indoor work environment where minimal sound and size is desired, low thickness as little as 1 mm thick with a height in the 1-2″ range could be used. This low profile could enable the belt assembly (100) to be fed through and used within the belt loops of a pair of pants. For scenarios where obscurity is not as critical and higher performance is important, this spacer monofilament (500) could be closer to 8 mm thick and have a cross section height of 1-4″.

Air flow distribution can be controlled using the holes/pores (400) or through use of an inherently breathable material that enables sufficient distribution while maintaining enough restriction so that the air does not escape the air distribution channel (102) too quickly. These holes/pores (400) can be actual holes, or another design which creates an exit point for the air such as slits, pores, or similar. As an alternate embodiment, rather than using holes introduced to the relatively impermeable material, there could be sections replaced with a more breathable material that effectively distributes the air gradually while maintaining some volume through the belt region. The holes/pores (400) can be created through the entire fabric stack-up or only the relatively non-impermeable material and be introduced to the assembly at the fabric component level or post assembly. A duplicate set of holes/pores (400) may be located on what is being considered the front of this belt for the scenario where a 2^(nd) fan assembly (300) and fan pocket (101) is incorporated into the belt assembly (100). 

1. A cooling device for cooling a user, comprising a belt having an interior channel, the belt adaptable to secure to the body of the user; a fan connected to the belt for generating air flow through the interior of the belt for cooling the user; and one or more pores in the belt where the air exits from the interior of the belt.
 2. The device of claim 1 where the belt is adjustable in length.
 3. The device of claim 1 where the belt includes a buckle.
 4. The device of claim 1 further comprising a fan pocket for housing the fan.
 5. The device of claim 1 where the pores are substantially evenly distributed along a perimeter of the belt.
 6. The device of claim 1 where the pores at least partially wrap around multiple sides of the belt.
 7. The device of claim 6 where the pores wrap around a top and a side of the belt that is adjacent to the user when the belt is worn.
 8. The device of claim 1 where the belt is comprised of an outer relatively non-breathable outer layer, and an inner relatively more breathable layer whereby the air from the fan flows through the interior channel of the belt.
 9. The device of claim 8 where the inner layer is comprised of multiple layers of material.
 10. The device of claim 9 where at least one of the inner layers is stamped forming a channel for increased airflow within the inner channel of the belt.
 11. The device of claim 8 where the outer layer is comprised of an outer layer conducive for contact with the user's skin and an inner mesh layer.
 12. The device of claim 8 where the outer layer includes adhesive tabs to secure the inner layer to the outer layer.
 13. The device of claim 8 where the portion of the inner layer adjacent to the pores is notched for increased airflow out of the pores.
 14. The device of claim 10 where the portion of the inner layer adjacent to the pores is notched for increased airflow out of the pores, and the stamped areas create an air channel leading to the notches.
 15. The device of claim 1 having multiple fans.
 16. The device of claim 1 where the fan includes one or more stand offs to create a gap between an air intake of the fan and the belt into which the fan is contained.
 17. The device of claim 1 where the fan is battery powered.
 18. The device of claim 17 where the batteries are rechargeable.
 19. The device of claim 4 where the pocket has a releasable closure. 